Main Window

The main window of R.O. Writer is where you manage the daily activity in your shop. You create tickets for each customer interaction and track all activity regarding those tickets on the main window.

The main window with captions pointing to the parts of the window described below the image.

This topic covers the main parts of the window:

The main toolbar
The menu bar
The Quick Launch

Two windows in the center show you the current activity in your shop:

The Work in Progress (WIP) Window
- The list of active repair orders and parts-only invoices.
- Repair orders are removed from this list after they are finalized, voided, or converted to an estimate.
The Estimates in Progress Window
- The list of active quotes, estimates, and parts-only estimates.
- Quotes and estimates are removed from this list after they are saved, deleted, or converted to a repair order.

Watch the following video to see an introduction to the R.O. Writer main window.

Main Toolbar

The main toolbar accesses the most common functions of the main window.

The main toolbar of the main module.

The following table describes the default toolbar buttons on the main window.
Button	Name	Description
	History	History is an archive of saved estimates and closed and voided repair orders. Click History directly to open Local History. Click the down arrow to see more History options. When the History dropdown menu appears, you can: Click Local History to open Local History. Click Reprint History to reprint estimates or repair orders. Click Service History to open the CARFAX Service History Check Report for a specific vehicle.
	WIP (Z)	Click to open the Work in Progress (WIP) window, which displays all open repair orders. Repair orders are removed from the WIP window when they are finalized or voided.
	Estimates	Click to open the Estimates in Progress window, which displays all active estimates and quotes. Estimates and quotes are removed from the Estimates in Progress window when they are saved, deleted, or converted to a repair order.
	New RO	Click to begin a new repair order.
	New Est	Click to begin a new estimate.
	Phone Quotes	Click to begin a new phone quote. Quotes allow you to add parts and labor to a ticket without entering a customer or a vehicle.
	Parts Inv	Click to begin a new parts-only invoice. Parts-only invoices appear in the WIP window. This button appears only if it is selected in the Main Toolbar section of General Options in Configuration.
	Parts Est	Click to begin a new parts-only estimate. Parts-only estimates appear on the Estimates in Progress window. This button appears only if it is selected in the Main Toolbar section of General Options in Configuration.
	Quick Parts	Click to open Quick Parts, which accesses all stock, non-stock, or consigned parts that have been entered as inventory items. You can search for parts by part number, description, or alternate part number.
	Calculator	Click to open the calculator installed with the Microsoft Windows calculator.
	Calendar	Click to open a monthly calendar that helps you manage customer appointments. This button appears if Scheduler is not enabled in Configuration.
	Scheduler	Click to open the Scheduler that helps you manage customer appointments. This button appears only when Scheduler is enabled in Configuration.
	Notes	Click to open shop notes. If this button has a red check, there are notes for the current day.
	Post AP	Click to open the Accounts Payable posting window, which allows you to post parts from all open repair orders to the Accounts Payable module.
	Time Clock	Click to open the Time Clock where all shop employees can check in and check out. This is the time clock where employees punch in and punch out - not the Labor Time Clock that tracks time on jobs on repair orders.
	Daily Summary	Click to see a daily summary of your current activity.
Custom Buttons	Custom Toolbar Buttons	You can add up to three custom toolbar buttons in the Configuration module in the File menu > General Options > Custom Toolbar Buttons section. These buttons appear after the Post AP button (if it's visible) or after the Notes button (if Post AP is not visible).

NOTE: For the toolbar on the ticket windows, click the following link: Ticket Toolbar.

Menus

The menu bar includes four dropdown menus:

The File menu
The Quick Functions menu
The Windows menu
The Help menu

TIP! Menu items often have hotkeys that access the same functions. These hotkeys display on the menus.

File Menu

The File menu contains the most used buttons on the main toolbar.

The File dropdown menu expanded.

The following table describes the menu items on the File menu.
Item	Description
Search History	Click Search History to access the History options. This is the same as clicking the History toolbar button.
WIP	Click WIP to make the WIP screen appear again if you closed it. If you click WIP while the WIP screen is already open, nothing happens. This is the same as clicking the WIP (Z) toolbar button.
Estimates	Click Estimates to make the Estimates in Progress window appear again if you closed it. If you click Estimates while the window screen is already open, nothing happens. This is the same as clicking the Estimates toolbar button.
New RO	Click New RO to create a new repair order. This is the same as clicking the New RO toolbar button.
New Est	Click New Est to create a new estimate. This is the same as clicking the New Est toolbar button.
Phone Quote	Click Phone Quote to create a new quote. This is the same as clicking the Phone Quote toolbar button.
New Parts Only RO	Click New Parts Only RO to create a parts-only repair order. This menu item appears only if it is selected in the Main Toolbar section of General Options in Configuration. This is the same as clicking the Parts Inv toolbar button.
New Parts Only Estimate	Click New Parts Only Estimate to create a parts-only estimate. This menu item appears only if it is selected in the Main Toolbar section of General Options in Configuration. This is the same as clicking the Parts Est toolbar button.
Exit	Click Exit to close R.O. Writer.

Quick Functions Menu

The Quick Functions menu provides access to functions available on the main window.

The following table describes menu items on the Quick Functions menu.
Item	Description
Quick Parts	Click Quick Parts to open the Quick Parts search window. This is the same as clicking the Quick Parts toolbar button.
Calculator	Click Calculator to open the calculator installed with Microsoft Windows. This is the same as clicking the Calculator toolbar button.
Calendar	Click Calendar to open the calendar. This menu item appears only if the Calendar toolbar button is on the main toolbar. This is the same as clicking the Calendar toolbar button.
Notes	Click Notes to open the Daily Notes for R.O. Writer. These notes are for the entire shop where as ticket notes apply only to the ticket. This is the same as clicking the Notes toolbar button.
Post AP	Click Post AP to open the be able to post items from all open repair orders to Accounts Payable. This is the same as clicking the Post AP toolbar button.
Time Clock	Click Time Clock to open the Employee Time Clock. This is the time clock where employees punch in and punch out - not the Labor Time Clock that tracks time on jobs on repair orders. This is the same as clicking the Time Clock toolbar button.
Open Cash Drawer	Click Open Cash Drawer to open the cash drawer attached to the machine. This menu item appears only if the cash drawer is enabled in Configuration. If this menu entry appears when no physical cash drawer is connected to the current machine, nothing happens when you click Open Cash Drawer.
Daily Summary	Click Daily Summary to see a daily summary of your today's activity in the shop. A popup window opens displaying the numbers for today's activity. This is the same as clicking the Daily Summary toolbar button.

Windows Menu

The Windows menu contains items that control how certain functions appear and allows you to save your window settings.

A checkmark appears on an item only when it is selected and applied. In the image below, the Job Based Repair Orders item has a check, which means it is selected.

The Windows menu expanded with Job Based Repair Orders checked.

The following table describes menu items on the Windows menu.
Item	Description
Job Based Repair Orders	Click Job Based Repair Orders to switch the Jobs area of the Parts/Labor tab to the Job-Based View. This is the default and the recommended view. Certain functionality works only in the job-based view.
Auto-Hide Toolbar	Click Auto-Hide Toolbar to hide the Quick Launch from view. The Quick Launch slides out only when you hover your mouse over the left side of the screen.
Hide Parts and Labor Cost	Click Hide Parts and Labor Cost to hide the parts and labor cost. Click again to display the cost again. This also hides the Cost column in Quick Parts search results. This menu item appears only if the Display Costs option is selected in Configuration.
Hide Package Discounts	Click Hide Package Discounts to hide Package Discounts. Click again to display package discounts again.
The tile and cascade menu items control how the Estimates in Progress Window and the Work in Progress (WIP) Window are arranged on the screen.
Tile Horizontally	Click Tile Horizontally to arrange the windows with one above the other. Both windows appear on the screen. This is the default arrangement.
Tile Vertically	Click Tile Vertically to arrange the windows side by side. Both windows appear on the screen.
Cascade	Click Cascade to stack the windows on top of each other.
Work in Progress Settings	Click this menu to access the side menu that enables you so save the appearance of the main window. Click the Windows menu > Work in Progress Settings to save your adjustments to the columns, filters, and general appearance of the Work in Progress (WIP) Window and Estimates in Progress Window. The settings you save apply to both windows at the same time. Use System Defaults returns the windows to R.O. Writer defaults. Use My Defaults applies your saved default settings to both windows. Save As My Defaults saves your customizations as your defaults. The next time you click Use My Defaults, your saved default settings apply to both windows. For more information about customizing these windows, see: Customizing the Estimates in Progress Window Customizing the WIP Window

Help Menu

The Help menu provides access to this help system among other functions.

The Help menu expanded.

Click Help (F1) to open this Help system.
Click About (F2) to see version information.
Click Licensing System to access the details about your license to use R.O. Writer.
Click Release Notes to open the release notes for the version of R.O. Writer you are currently using.

Quick Launch

The Quick Launch provides access to repair lookup tools, online catalogs, and modules such as Reporting, Configuration, and Inventory.

In each section, the Quick Launch displays only the items on your license that have been configured. Items are added to the Quick Launch in General Options in Configuration.

Click the double arrow button to expand and collapse each section.
Click the Windows menu > Auto-Hide Toolbar to hide the Quick Launch.

The following table describes the three sections in the Quick Launch.
Repair	Catalogs	Quick Launch
Includes the configured repair lookups.	Includes the configured Supplier catalogs.	Includes the modules in your R.O. Writer license.

The topics in this section include (each link opens a new topic):

Company Information	Support	Sales
Constellation R.O. Writer Inc. 11350 McCormick Rd. Plaza 3, Suite 200 Hunt Valley, MD 21031 www.rowriter.com	Phone: (800) 881-5859 https://support.rowriter.com	Sales: (888) 928-9769 Business: (561) 904-7300
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